Bøker av John Shirley

After barely surviving a plane crash, a man discovers an undersea city called Rapture; a failed utopia created by Jack Ryan, a man who looked to embrace a world surrounding the objectivist ideals of Ayn Rand.

Prima edizione italiana della raccolta di racconti The Feverish Stars (pubblicata in inglese nel 2021) del Premio Bram Stoker Award e International Horror Guild Award John Shirley.La raccolta contiene 21 racconti di fantascienza dark, horror, weird e dark fantasy pubblicati in varie riviste e antologie e alcuni inediti. Dall'Introduzione di Richard Christian Matheson: "Nei meditabondi distretti della narrativa oscura, la scrittura del gangster Byroniano John Shirley si distingue per lo stile sofisticato e affilato, e la prosa mesmerizzante. Venti dei suoi migliori racconti, e alcuni inediti, sono raccolti in questo volume di poetiche richieste di d'aiuto, e che si tratti di orrore, artificiose eresie o di un cosmo che lascia filtrare cupo karma, le autopsie delle visioni di Shirley si risvegliano. In mezzo a tali torrenti narrativi, i molti appassionati del genio dell'autore assaporeranno i suoi lavori come pentothal di sodio e grazia."

"Civil War veteran Cleve Trewe locks horns with a ruthless cattleman who's hungry for land, thirsty for power -- and out for blood . . . After a long, hard journey west, Cleve Trewe is ready to settle down. He's got his beautiful wife Berry in San Francisco, a baby on the way, and his sights set on a gorgeous piece of land in the Sierras. This sweet slice of heaven is aptly named Sweet River, and it's the perfect place to build a ranch, farm, and home for his family. Problem is, Cleve's not the only one with his eyes on the land. A big-time cattle baron named Asa Hawthorn is prepared to use threats, intimidation -- and armed thugs--to get what he wants. Worse yet, Cleve knows the man from the darkest days of the Civil War . . . Cleve's not about to surrender his claim.. He's got his buddy Kanaway by his side, a family of Paiute Indians on his team, and the property papers ready to sign. That's when the real trouble starts. To squash the deal, Hawthorn unleashes his deadliest henchmen -- including a would-be gunfighter from Cleve's past and a killer-for-hire who never misses. The Paiute family recognizes some of them as the men who slaughtered their tribe -- a massacre that Cleve suspects was the work of Asa Hawthorn. Either way, a major battle is brewing. And the crystal blue waters of Sweet River are about to turn red . . ."--

Some argue existence is an exercise in futility. They claim there are no winners in life. Ultimately, we are insignificant in the face of vast cosmic intelligences that were old when the Universe began.The best minds gibber at the incomprehensibility of it all. Other minds lose themselves in strange geometries because they can't comprehend any alternative.Whatever. The rest of us have to get up in the morning, feed the cat, and go to work.The Cozy Cosmic contains 33 stories of the horrors hidden within the micro-aggressions, the horrors trapped beneath the floorboards, and the horrors waiting patiently on the windowsill. This is the horror that forgets to turn off the light at night. This is the horror of waiting for the tea to boil, knowing full well who you just buried-for the second time-in the yard less than a hour ago. This is the horror of knowing where the dark wool comes from, but you wear the sweater anyway because it was a gift-an expression of love-and, well, being alone is worse than the horror of the unknowable, isn't it?The full table of contents for The Cozy Cosmic is as follows:John Shirley ~ "Death, in Two"Tais Teng ~ "On Hearing the First Shoggoth in Spring"Tyler Battaglia ~ "What the Sea Provides"Ellis Bray ~ "My Grandmother's Sacristy"E. E. Marshall ~ "Right and Bright"Devan Barlow ~ "Dinner, Overlooking the Sea"Scotty Milder ~ "A Little God in Their Hands"Maxwell I. Gold ~ "The Great Cosmic Itch"Remy Nakamura ~ "Wet Dreams in R'lyeh"Andrew S. Fuller ~ "A Perfectly Fine Hobby"Kiera Lesley ~ "Obsolescent"Kurt Newton ~ "A Mournful Melancholia of Things Forever Lost"J. B. Kish ~ "Lo-Fi Chocolate Cake"Rajiv Moté ~ "Carrisa and Kevin Gaze into the Abyss"Daniel David Froid ~ "In Another Distant Land, in a Luminescent Land"Kate Ristau ~ "Shine"Erik Grove ~ "Fuzzy Fuzzy Kitty Kitties"William J. Connell ~ "Poe's Guys Respond to Their Significant Others"Paul Jessup ~ "The Museum of Endless Summer"Ngo Binh Anh Khoa ~ "Through Life and Death, Forevermore"Jonathan Wood ~ "Javapocalypse"L. E. Daniels ~ "Final Cycle"Ken Hueler ~ "The Unknowable Ones"Tania Chen ~ "A Study of Metamorphosis Calamity"Eric Shanower ~ "The Purple Emperor"Kevin Wetmore ~ "A Child's Christmas in Innsmouth"Megan Lee Beals ~ "Splinterbone"Corinne Hughes ~ "The Sheep Rancher's Husband"Shanna Germain ~ "A Napkin Upon Your Glass"Simone Cooper ~ "Gnocchi"Jessie Kwak ~ "Blood and Glitter"Cody T Luff ~ "Den Mother"R. Ostermeier ~ "The Dark Young"

IN THE GRAND TRADITION of Clark Ashton Smith; of H. P. Lovecraft's Fungi from Yuggoth, of Edgar Allan Poe and George Sterling and other masters of Weird Poetry...JOHN SHIRLEY-the Bram Stoker Award-winning writer; the noted novelist, author of Demons and Cellars and Lovecraft Alive and City Come A-Walkin' and Stormland and the A Song Called Youth trilogy and Black Butterflies; the songwriter; the lyricist for the Blue Öyster Cult... and frequent contributor to the weird poetry journal Spectral Realms-presents his first book of poems.His themes range widely: from irony-infused cautionary tales to the dangers of romance in a vein of nightmare; to the diabolic glimpsed from the corners of the eye; to the lyricism of streetcorners; to the magic energy of inescapable regret; to cosmic horror, secret sovereigns, and apocalypse... leavened by subtle glimpses of hope.This volume is lavishly illustrated by noted weird artist Dan Sauer, whose surreal photomontage work illuminates the savage beauty and dark epiphanies of Shirley's verse.

WINNER OF THE 2024 SPUR AWARDThe second in the action-packed new series from Ralph Compton writer, John Shirley, takes traditional Westerns on a wild ride with the epic adventures of master gunfighter, horseman, and Civil War veteran Cleveland Trewe as he and his strong partner, Bernice fight for survival in 1880s Nevada . . .Civil War veteran Cleveland Trewe stumbles onto a bizarre cult in the Sierra Nevada mountains—where the faithful are healed and fates are sealed . . . in blood.They say the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. But it’s hard to know what’s going on inside the twisted mind of Magnus Lamb, the charismatic leader of an isolated logging town known for its healing hot springs. Some might say he’s created a peaceful utopia here on Gunmetal Mountain. But for Cleveland Trewe and his lovely traveling companion Berry, this little piece of heaven is more like Hell on Earth . . .Cleve and Berry first discover the town after an encounter with a dangerous band of Indians. Cleve to vow to find "the Coyote," a young brave last seen headed for the strange settlement of Lambsville. At first, Cleve and Berry are charmed by the town’s natural beauty and simple way of life. But soon they see the community for what it really is: a brainwashed cult with some oddball beliefs, a rigid caste system, and a leader who thinks he’s the new Messiah. This not-so-innocent Lamb has heard about Cleve’s legendary gunfighting skills and wants him to lead an army to expand his power across the West. It’s bound to be a bloodsoaked mission, and Cleve wants no part of it. But if he refuses, there’ll be hell to pay . . .

WELCOME TO THE WEIRD, WEIRD, WEIRD, WEIRD WORLD OF JOHN SHIRLEY...How deep into the weird will you go? Will you wade to your knees? Your waist? Your shoulders? Will you get in over your head?This truly unique story collection from the acclaimed and unsettling John Shirley is organized into four sections. The first section is Really Weird Stories. The second is Really, Really Weird Stories. The third is Really, Really, Really Weird Stories. The fourth is-oh yes-Really, Really, Really, Really Weird Stories. And the author means what he says: each section is weirder than the last, doubling its strangeness a section at a time. The collection starts out disquieting; it becomes disturbing, then it gets outrageously weird-then mind-bending. Yet each story is a compelling narrative.Some of the stories are set in the "real world;" others have a supernatural or science-fiction basis, or come from a place where genres are destroyed by explosive vision. In this edition there are four new stories, including the Lovecraftian Antarctic adventure "A Boy and His Shoggoth," and, published here for the first time, "The Whisperer Made Visible"-a tale of secret treaties with horrors eldritch and invisible.This updated edition of Really, Really, Really, Really Weird Stories is one of the most impressive feats of sustained and varied weirdness since Harlan Ellison's landmark Dangerous Visions anthologies. Your mind is strong. Take the risk...

A routine rescue mission leaves a team of US soldiers, rescued hostages and a prisoner trapped in orbit, in this cinematic action-packed near-future thriller. Lieutenant Art Burkett, US ranger, is called up to take part in a rescue mission. Three scientists have been kidnapped by the terrorist group Thieves in Law and their combined knowledge could result in worldwide devastation. The rescue is swift. Art and his team return to SubOrbital 7, the military craft they landed in, intending to return to safety with hostages rescued and prisoners in tow. But Thieves in Law are not the only people looking for SubOrbital 7 and its occupants. With casualties onboard and a dwindling oxygen supply, Art and his team must fight an ever-growing threat before time runs out for them, and possibly for the rest of the world.

"Based on the Gearbox Borderlands games."

The first book in a thrilling new western series from John Shirley, the acclaimed co-author of the Sundown Riders western series. GOLD FEVER. BLOOD FEVER. From the battlefield of Shiloh to the prisoner camp at Slocum, former Union soldier Cleveland Trewe has seen more than enough carnage for one lifetime. Now that the war is over he's found work as a peacekeeper and prospectorthe perfect set of survival skills for a town like Axle Bust, Nevada, a place seething with danger. Cleve's uncle staked a claim in Axle Bust only to lose it to a murderous con-man partnered with Duncan Conroy, owner of the Golden Fleece Mine and a man determined to build an empire by means fair and foul. The only person keeping Conroy in check is his sister Berenice, a freethinker whose scientific education benefits the family interestseven while catching Cleve's eye. To reclaim his uncle's mine, and bring justice to a town under tyranny, Cleve finds himself turning the streets into a bullet-riddled battlefield. Conroy is about to learn there just isn't room for both men in a town like Axle Bust. Praise for John Shirley';Gritty realism, thrillingthis is a good one.' Lincoln Journal Star on Wyatt in Wichita';One of our best and most singular writers. A powerhouse of ideas and imagery.' William Gibson

An original gritty urban fantasy novel by acclaimed author John Shirley.

The prequel story to the award-winning and bestselling video game franchise. How the majesty of Rapture, the shining city below the sea, became an instant dystopia It's the end of World War II. FDR's New Deal has redefined American politics. Taxes are at an all-time high. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki has brought a fear of total annihilation. The rise of secret government agencies and sanctions on business has many watching their backs. America's sense of freedom is diminishing...and many are desperate to take that freedom back. Among them is a great dreamer, an immigrant who pulled himself from the depths of poverty to become one of the wealthiest and admired men in the world. That man is Andrew Ryan, and he believed that great men and women deserve better. And so he set out to create the impossible, a utopia free from government, censorship, and moral restrictions on science-where what you give is what you get. He created Rapture-the shining city below the sea. But as we all know, this utopia suffered a great tragedy. This is the story of how it all came to be...and how it all ended.

A cattle drive faces long odds in this exciting new installment in Ralph Compton's Trail Drive series. An outbreak of hostilities with Comanches has disrupted the usual trail routes. But Mase Durst must get his cows from his Texas ranch to the railway up in Wichita, Kansas, or face losing his land, which the bank is fixing to foreclose on. He's forced to take his herd on a little-used route called the Red Trail-little used for good reasons. It's a tough trek: dangerous, narrow, and fraught with banditry. Along the way, Durst and his men face numerous obstacles thrown up by Mother Nature, cattle rustlers and crooked lawmen. But even their safe arrival in Wichita will offer no relief if he can't make it home in time to save his ranch from the bank-and his wife from the predations of their rapacious neighbor. . .

This special John Shirley issue of WEIRDBOOK presents a complete, original novel plus a selection of poems, short stories, and more by one of the most acclaimed figures in the fantasy, horror, and science fiction fields. Included are:Novel: Swords of Atlantis, by John ShirleyShort Stories: Anvil Rock, by John Shirley Broken on the Wheel of Time, by John Shirley Nodding Angel, by John Shirley Calaphais and the Demon Malchance, by John Shirley That Ambulance Again, by John ShirleyPoetry: Secret Tree, by John Shirley A Tourist in Hell, by John Shirley The Egregious Error of Werner Witherbye, by John Shirley You See Me as You See Me, by John Shirley And I'll Burn Like a Vampire in the Sun, by John Shirley

The ninth issue of Hippocampus Press's acclaimed journal of weird poetry features verse by some of the leading contemporary poets of fantasy, horror, and the supernatural, including Frank Coffman, Fred Chappell, Ashley Dioses, Wade German, K. A. Opperman, Leigh Blackmore, Jessica Amanda Salmonson, Ann K. Schwader, and the late Michael Fantina. Such significant fiction writers as John Shirley, Darrell Schweitzer, and David Barker also contribute striking weird verse, while Liam Garriock, David B. Harrington, Charles D. O'Connor III, and others show that the prose-poem is alive and well. Among the classic reprints are rare and unreprinted poems by Madison Cawein (a prominent poet of the turn of the 20th century, much of whose work is laced with weirdness) and Dora Sigurson Shorter. Marcos Legaria contributes the first part of a detailed examination of the influence of Clark Ashton Smith upon the poetry of Robert Nelson, who in his tragically brief life (1912-1935) produced some scintillating work that continues to attract attention. In the section of reviews, Donald Sidney-Fryer assesses Henry J. Vester III's Of Mist and Crystal; Frank Coffman supplies a sensitive reading of Ashley Dioses's Diary of a Sorceress; and Russ Parkhurst evaluates Adam Bolivar's book of ballads, The Lay of Old Hex.

Halloween, a time for laughing children in white bedsheets and superhero costumes. A time for chocolate candy, and pumpkins, and Trick-or-Treat. ... a time for dark things everywhere to slink out of the shadows and into our lives, reminding those unlucky few that our charades of Halloween cannot erase the centuries of history and pain behind the facade…What October Brings celebrates the dark traditions of the autumn rituals, of Halloween and Samhain, in homage to the uniquely fascinating fiction of HP Lovecraft. Masters of the short story offer you a "once in a lifetime" Trick-or-Treat experience… …perhaps your last!

';A thrill-packed' blend of science fiction and apocalyptic thriller from the veteran horror writer and author of Halo: Broken Circle (Metro Silicon Valley). Judgment Day has arrived, and it's stranger than anyone could have predicted... . Jim Swift, a reporter for the Sacramento Bee, is determined to get to the bottom of the recent bizarre global occurrences that seem to be more in the realm of outlandish conspiracy theories than real-life facts. People who once trafficked in slaves, war, cruelty, and death are suddenly experiencing strange visions and reexamining their lives. But the inexplicable rehabilitation of humanity's worst evildoers is only the beginning. As Jim sets out on a frantic search for his lost daughter, he must traverse a world reduced to the chaos of fear and uncertaintyfor the end of everything we've ever known will be at hand once the Adjusters arrive from the stars. The Other End, John Shirley's brilliant and biting apocalyptic thriller, is the veteran author's answer to the bestselling Left Behind novels. A magnificent amalgam of science fiction, horror, satire, and heart-pounding adventure, it's a stunning and thought-provoking tale of righteous redemption in a dystopian near-future.

A flesh-and-soul-devouring addiction runs rampant through the dark playground of the Hollywood elite in this tale of horror from a Bram Stoker Award winner. Welcome to Los Angeles, where every addiction is encouraged.... Struggling Hollywood screenwriter Tom Prentice can hardly believe that the emaciated and mutilated corpse lying on the morgue slab was once his ex-wife. Then his roommate's missing brother turns up in a local hospital having sliced open his own chest and legs for some sick, inexplicable reason. In Oakland, the Reverend Garner, a recovering addict, leaves his ministry in search of his teenage daughter, who was last seen in the company of her ghoulish kidnapper. And the Los Angeles police are meanwhile baffled in their hunt for the elusive ';Wetbones' serial killer who leaves nothing of his victims behind except a damp, grisly pile of bones. Though Tom, the reverend, and the LAPD are on separate quests for answers, they are all being led into the darkest shadows of Hollywood, where the debauchery never ceases and pleasure is a drug that devours human flesh, blood, and sanity. But the true source of the all-consuming addiction is the most horrifying revelation of all, for it is not of this rational Earth. From International Horror Guild Awardwinning author John Shirley, the acclaimed ';splatterpunk' classic Wetbones combines the monstrous inventiveness of H. P. Lovecraft with the exquisite excess of Clive Barker. A true masterwork of modern terror, it's decidedly not for the faint of heart.

Comet Press presents the ultimate collection of extreme creature horror with 17 deviant and gore-soaked stories featuring demons, cannibals, mutants, golems, werewolves, and many more vile creatures. Brace yourself for a wild and bestial ride in these disturbing tales of Sick Things. Over-endowed aliens invade earth with one purpose: to mate with human females. A filmmaker documents a devil worshipping blood cult--and becomes the main subject. A farmer with an unnatural affection for his livestock gets a special gift when his wife is bitten by a werewolf. An employee finds his new boss sexy and attractive--and so do the flys. An obese, bed-ridden woman is given a pill to help her lose weight, with gag-inducing consequences. Pissed off, flesh-eating cows take over a dairy farm. A musician returns from the dead to avenge his wife's murder, with the help of a mysterious black possum. The Allies find a secret weapon: a monstrous blob with an insatiable appetite for dead human flesh. A chef creates his ultimate dish: an anatomically correct golem made out of leftovers. A mythical demon preys on unsuspecting college girls. A morbid, mouth-watering retelling of Hansel and Gretel. And many more!